Golf swings performed by individuals proficient in the sport exhibit qualities of smoothness, rhythm, and timing. Improving the quality of said attributes is essential for all golfers that desire to obtain a higher skill level.
Golf instruction and writings commonly teach association of a verbal cadence with performing the golf swing. Students are instructed to count out loud “one, two, three” as they swing a golf club back and through. This exercise reinforces the learning of a repeatable golf swing, but the exercise lacks relationship to the known rhythm and timing of a proficient golfer.
Effective golf swings are continuous in motion. The golf swing of a proficient and elegant golfer appears to flow effortlessly in a continuous analog manner. The golf swing consists of a back swing, a change of direction, and a strike of the ball. There are no pauses or hurried movements. The performance of the swing is continuous, with but one digital aspect wherein the club, once stationary and adjacent to the ball, is placed in motion to start the golf swing.
The rhythm of an effective golf swing does not have equal proportions. The proper stroke is similar to the cracking of a whip. The amount of time used for: drawing the whip back, changing directions, and sending the whip forward, are disproportionate. Any attempt to equalize these periods of time or introduction of a pause would ruin the effort of cracking a whip, or likewise, performing a golf swing.
Proficient golfers complete the golf swing in slightly less, or more than one second. It is also a characteristic of proficient golfers that they repeat the phases of the golf swing with a precision measured in hundredths of a second.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,352 (Smith) the invention disclosed attempts to teach a golf swing using metronome cadence. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,807 (Bendo/Varga) the invention disclosed attempts to teach a rhythmic swing by creating a plurality of click sounds. In both of these prior art inventions the student is instructed to synchronize the initial movement of the golf swing with the appropriate click. U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,807 (Bendo/Varga) further instructs the student to pause, and become still during performance of a golf swing. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,503,149 the invention disclosed provides a device included with a golf club capable of creating a whistle sound respective to the velocity the club is moving.
There are three major failings with both prior art Smith and Bendo/Varga. They both require the student to attempt a critical synchronization of the initial movement of a golf swing to a free running audible signal. This synchronization is a difficult and ineffective requirement to place on the golf student. Failure to precisely mate the origination of the golf swing to the intended proper click noise renders the practice out of phase. The object of these two inventions is to teach a repeatable rhythmic golf swing, yet the designs require the student to keenly focus elsewhere.
An additional failing of prior art inventions are they teach the golf swing to include phases of equal time value and a pause of motion. This is contrary to the continuous, rhythmic motion of golf swings performed by proficient golfers.
An additional failing of prior art inventions are they represent the golf swing in a digital manner. Audible clicks are fully off or on, presenting a stop and go cadence. This directs the students' focus to a few positions of the golf swing and retards the learning of a continuous, rhythmic motion.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a device included with a golf club that plays a plurality of selectable, audible, recorded sound files. A subsequent object of the present invention is that the device synchronize the playing of said sound files to the initial movement of the club performed in starting a golf swing.
Another subsequent object of the present invention is that the audible sounds contained in the files be continuous without pause.
Another subsequent object of the present invention is that the recorded sound files are time justified to the study of golf swings performed by skilled golfers.
Another subsequent object of the present invention is that a variety of sounds that comprise the sound files are justified to the positions of proficient golfers with a minimum resolution of a one hundredth of a second.
Another subsequent object of the invention is that said sound files include the recorded sound of a golf club striking a golf ball.
Another subsequent object of the invention is that said sound files utilize changes in pitch, volume, and timing synchronized to the study of the rhythm and timing of proficient golfers.
Another subsequent object of the invention is that the recorded sound files contain musical notes, creating a melody that is synchronized to the rhythm and timing of proficient golfers.
Another subsequent object of the present invention is that the sound provided by the device originates at the head of the golf shaft, distal to the grip end.
Another subsequent object of the present invention is that the device, and included golf club, exhibit weight and balance typical to golf clubs.